Major U.S. food companies are looking to tighten the nations’ existing food safety net, possibly moving the government guidelines to mandatory and requiring companies to prove that their current suppliers are complying.  The continued E.coli outbreaks and product recalls have moved food safety quickly into the forefront of consumer minds.  Produce buyers and companies are coming under more direct pressure to have in place Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)/ Good Handling Practices (GHP).

For the last 4 years producers have heard about GAP/GHPs, NC Cooperative Extension has spoken about it, and now it is hear – knocking on our FRONT door!

The “Guide To Minimize Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables” is the foundation on which the food safety guidelines for fresh produce rests.  The GAP/GHP offers producers some guidance for the third party certifications that are being required from some end markets.  The resultant certification from the GAP/GHP audit will allow growers to be ready for the industry trends seen in CA, ensuring they keep their existing markets, allowing for diversification of those markets, and the continued livelihood of safe fresh fruits and vegetables.

This webpage is designed to help heighten the awareness of food safety with producers and move the industry towards implementation of some food safety steps on their own farms.

The NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force has been formed and would like to hear from your needs. For the time being, please send an email to Diane_Ducharme@ncsu.edu to find answers.

Resources to Begin your Education in Food Safety

• Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
  

• This is the guide that forms the foundation of microbial food safety for fresh fruits and vegetables.
  

• GAP/GHP is a voluntary program.

• USDA Pre-Harvest Security Guidelines and Checklist 2006

• The voluntary guidelines and checklist presented here provide a

  pre‑harvest security resource and are designed to help the agricultural

  producer reduce security risks at the farm level. Each producer should

  review the guidelines and checklist to determine the recommendations

  most appropriate for his or her operations

• Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of
  Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables

• This guidance covers fresh-cut fruits and vegetables that have been minimally processed (e.g., no lethal kill step), and altered in form, by peeling, slicing, chopping, shredding, coring, or trimming, with or without washing or other treatment, prior to being packaged for use by the consumer or a retail establishment.  Examples of fresh-cut products are shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, salad mixes (raw vegetable salads), peeled baby carrots, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cut celery stalks, shredded cabbage, cut melon, sliced pineapple, and sectioned grapefruit.

• Powerpoint presentations on:            

• Basics of Food Safety - Trevor Phister

• Good Agricultural Practices Overview  - D. Ducharme

• Top 15 Actions to Address GAPs-Billy Little - Coming Soon

• Food Safety Plans - Start at the Beginning - D. Ducharme

• UC Davis GAP Self-Audit Tutorial

• NCSU GAP Produce Safety Factsheets- Commodity Specific guidelines 
  

• Green beans and Peas

• Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, and Blueberry

• Cabbage and Leaf Greens

• Citrus Fruits

• Cucumber, Eggplant, Squash, Pepper, and Corn

• Melons

• Peaches

• Tomatoes

• Commodity Specific Guidelines from other Associations:

• Lettuce and Leafy Greens

• Prepared by members of the leafy green and Lettuce industry - International Fresh-Cut Produce Association, PMA, United, and Western Growers

• Tomatoes

• Prepared by the North American Tomato Trade Work Group

• Tomatoes - T-GAPs

• Prepared by the Florida Tomato Growers Association

• Melons

• Prepared by the Produce Industry Food Safety Initiative, PMA and United.

• Fresh Produce USDA Third-Party Audit Verification Program

• Fresh Produce Audit Verification Program  

• GAPs Audit Matrix
  

• GAP Audit Scoresheet 

• Good Website for industry standards for grading, GAPs and general product grading and certification programs.

  Other Resources

• Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-Squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices

• Penn State Food Safety Website 

• Food temp

• Food safety from farm to fork 

• UC Davis Food Safety Website

Webpage content by Diane Ducharme, NC Cooperative Extension, Area Specialized Agent for Small Fruits and Vegetables, Henderson , Haywood, and Buncombe Counties. 

Last updated 11/02/2007